Finding What's Been Lost
by Greenleaf1075
Summary: When Elros Lavellan woke up with a strange green mark on his hand, his whole world was turned upside down, but not necessary for the worst. With an unknown future ahead of him, he turns to the one person he thought he would never see again, his twin sister Shilya. Rated T for now, will probably move it up to M when violence/swearing/sex scenes start happening. There will be romance
1. Heading to a New Place

**A/N: ****Thanks for reading my new story. I know I have to get back on track with my other stories, but this one is just has to be written right now, lol. Hopefully soon I will be finishing up some of my other stories, I just have to find my muse again. Let me know what you think! I am working on chapter 2 now! I do not own anything except Shilya.**

**...**

It had only been three days since everything in Elros Lavellan's life had changed. Three days since he had awoken in a jail cell with a green glowing mark upon his right hand and an angry Cassandra towering over him. Her accusing screams could be heard from down the hall he was sure, but their Divine was dead and he was the only one left standing.

However, those accusing eyes were soon replaced with sideways glances when Solas reaffirmed his innocence by telling Cassandra that he did not possess magic, therefore could not have blown up the Conclave, but that still didn't answer the question that everyone was asking: Who killed Divine Justinia?

Elros rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he rolled over in his bedroll. He pushed his face into his pillow, trying to keep the new day out just a little bit longer, but he knew his efforts were for not when he heard the familiar sounds of his fellow companion Cassandra start rustling about. And when that woman was awake, everyone else should be too, because she was not known for her patience.

Kicking the covers off himself, Elros rose from his bedroll and exited his tent. The morning sun greeted the elvhen rogue as it always greeted one of The People, with grace and brilliance. An open armed embrace that The People were sure they could only see or understand, but that was something the young man knew to be false.

Elros was proud to be Dalish, but he knew his people needed help. He knew that his people needed to change their views on not only humans, dwarves and qunari, but other elves as well. He always hated the way that his fellow tribesman treated people that weren't from their own tribe, or not of 'the blood'. But this was a time for them to change, for all the people of Thedas to change and he was going to help that along.

Elros smiled at his fellow companions as he made his way to the stream they had camped near by. Cassandra was the only human and female among their group, but neither seemed to bother her or anyone else. In fact, he was pretty sure that Solas and Varric were too afraid to say anything on the contrary for fear of her wrath. The image of the two grown men screaming and running in fear from the Seeker amused the elf to no extent.

"Ah, hello fellow prisoner," Varric joked as he clapped the younger man on the shoulder before dipping his hands into the cool stream water.

Elros looked up at the sound of the voice as water dripped off his delicate elvhen features. "Good morning Varric," he replied with a charming smile. Varric and Elros had become friends quickly after their first meeting. The two men not only shared the same status, Cassandra's prisoners, but they also shared the same type of sense of humor as well. The dwarf was constantly making jokes at the Seekers expense, which always put a smile on the elf's face. Not that he disliked the Seeker, no it was far from that, he just knew that the woman needed to loosen up a bit.

Elros rose to his feet with a smile and a nod to Varric, leaving the shorter man to his morning rituals as he made his way back to the camp. There he found Cassandra looking over the map, making their route to where Leliana's scouts were located and waiting for them.

"We should be leaving soon," the dark haired woman said without looking up from the map.

Elros stopped and nodded his head in agreement. "I agree. We'll need to find Mother Giselle we try and find the Horsemaster," he said as he looked down at the map. Cassandra had marked the small map with the scouts locations, he made a mental note to ask the scouts to fill in the map further with whatever they knew about in the area. The two took another moment to discuss their travel plans and how long they expected it would take to get there. Thankfully the weather had been cooperating so their travel had been rather eventless, except for the random banter between the strange group.

"I'll get everyone together," Elros said when he was finally satisfied with the plan that he and Cassandra had come up with.

Varric's tent and bedroll were already rolled up and placed on his steed while he sat perched on a tree stump doing maintenance to his precious Bianca. "We're moving out in five," the elf said as he walked passed the dwarf saying sweet nothings to his crossbow. Elros just shook his head, he thought he had seen love between someone and their bow, but the hunters in his clan didn't hold a candle to the love Varric has for his Bianca.

It was than that Elros realized that there was someone missing. He had been in his own mind all morning that he hadn't even realized that their last companion wasn't with the group. The elf eyed the area questioningly, wondering where the older elvhen man had gone off too.

"Are you looking for me?" the familiar voice said from above. Elros spun around as he unsheathed one of his daggers from his back. Solas smiled as he jumped down from the rocky ledge. "It's good to know that you are quick on your feet."

Elros smirked as he replaced his blade into its sheath. "Ah, yes, something we must learn young in the wilderness or we might be eaten by something much larger and with sharper teeth than your own."

A smile graced Solas face, but it didn't reach his eyes. His mind still wondered the fade, where his friends and memories to find waited for him.

"We're moving out in five," Elros finally said as he turned his back, making his way back to where Cassandra and Varric were seated. Solas nodded and followed suit.

It only took moments for the four of them to gather the rest of their gear and saddle up their steeds before they were off to their destination in The Hinterlands. They all know that this was only the beginning. But the beginning of what, they truly had no idea yet.


	2. In the Fade

**A/N:**** Hello everyone! Thank you all for reading my story. I wanted to let you guys know that this story is going to take place over a 5 year time period (beginning and end of the game). I am unsure whether the game takes that long to processed, but that sounds about right to me, lol. I also wanted to warn everyone that this story will have M!Inquisitor/male character (but I'm not telling who yet, mauhahahaha). I just thought I would give you guys a warning.**

**I also wanted to say thank you to momonigiri for her unending support and confidence in me. I also wanted to thank Dirt in a jar for following the story and Dharan queen for following and faving. Thanks guys! And of course I do not own anything from DA, but Shilya is all mine. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks again!**

**...**

It had been a week since they had found Mother Giselle in The Hinterlands. She was a polite and kind hearted woman. Elros was glad that she wasn't too preachy. He may be what they call The Herald of Andraste, but he was still an elf and his beliefs were with the Old Gods. Thankfully most of his companions had realized and recognized this, for the most part none of them pushed the issue, but he knew that this was just the beginning.

It had been a particularly long day today. It started off, as many of Elros' days have started since gaining the mark, with closing a fade rift, and unfortunately this particular rift was rather large one. However, this wasn't the end of his day.

With their southern most camp created the four companions set out to find the Mercenary Fortress they had found clues too when they took down some 'fake bandits' on the East Road. Elros was surprised by how few men were at the fortress. He figured the place would be utterly crawling with Mercenaries, but it seemed that only a token crew stayed behind. However after entering the fortress and engaging their first wave of men, Elros quickly changed his mind about this so called 'token' crew.

It turned into a fight to remember. Every individual they came across was a massive, hulking man of strength and every single one of them wielded a huge mallet.

"This so called skeleton crew aren't such wimps are they?" Varric jested as another one of Bianca's bolts went flying through the air, piercing an enemy that was trying to sneak up on Elros.

Elros grimaced as he turned around just in time to watch the unsuspecting enemy hit the ground. He knew that if anyone was going to call him out on his mistake it would have been Varric. "Yeah, I gathered that much too," he said as they nodded his head up the stairs for everyone to follow him.

Varric chuckled as he followed the Seeker up the stairs, only to be stopped again by another Mercenary. "This is no time for your jesting Varric," Cassandra warned as she blocked the massive mallet with her shield.

"Right Seeker," Varric said in a very serious manner, but that still seemed like a joke to Elros. _The man can make even apologizing sound like a joke, _Elros thought with a smile as his poisoned blade came down one last time to strike their enemy in the shoulder.

As soon as the last Mercenary was taken down, Varric and Cassandra started looting through their belongings and going through the papers that were scattered all around the place to see if they could find something useful. Solas and Elros found another ancient elvhen relic and quickly activated it.

"This place should be free of any more tears in the veil," Solas mused to himself as he turned and walked away from the younger elf.

Elros stood there for a moment and watched as the dark and light green colors swirled around each other inside the orb. The motions inside the orb transfixed and mesmerized him. Within moments his body started to sway, his limbs felt heavy, as if they were going to detach from his body and his vision started to tunnel and blur. He knew there was no time, he knew what was about to happen and there was nothing he could do but hit the floor and wait.

**…**

_Elros hated this. He walked through the fade as he always did when he was pulled here. His feet taking him where he needed to go without thinking. It was always the same. The same green forest, the same crystal blue creek, the same birds singing the same song, nothing ever changed when she drew him to the fade._

_However, no matter how many times he would protest to Shilya about finding a new place for them to meet she would just simply smile and tell him that this was the last place they had been together in the flesh, and therefore it meant the most to both of them. He never understood her reasoning, but that didn't matter. Deep down she knew him the best, and she knew that he loved his place just as much as she did._

_It didn't take long for Elros to find his sister. She was where she always was when she called to him from the fade, by the big oak tree. Its heavy branches hung over the creek lazily as the breeze rustled the leaves. The ripples in the creek glistened as the sun started its southern descent below the horizon._

_"Aneth ara," Shilya said without looking back at the approaching footsteps._

_Elros smiled as he shook his head. This was the one place he could never get one up on his mage sister. "Hello sister."_

_Shilya winced when she heard her brother speak in the common tongue, but she quickly recovered herself. She needed to remember that while she traveled throughout Thedas to understand her strange magical power she learned far more about their elvhen heritage than he would probably ever know without her._

_"It's good to see you again brother," she said with a beaming smile as she turned._

_Elros smiled in return, he had missed his sister. They had, thankfully because of Shilya's magical ability, been able to keep in touch though the fade. However it wasn't the same, to either of them._

_It was than that he remember his sister had called to him while he was awake and with his companions. He rubbed his temples in frustration. He had no idea where to begin explaining this one._

_"What's wrong?" Shilya asked innocently._

_"What's wrong?! What's wrong?!" Elros exclaimed. He didn't know if it was the fade or his sister, but whenever he was here with her nothing else mattered. So many times in his life he loved and needed this, but not now. Not with so much on the line. "Do you have any idea what's going on out there?"_

_Shilya sighed and hung her head. "Yes, of course I do," she said meekly as she kicked the rocks from under her feet._

_Elros' eyes grew large as he ran his fingers through his golden locks. "Than what in the void are you doing here?!"_

_Shilya smirked at her brothers word choice, but she knew better than to pick on him right now. "I know, I know," she said trying to calm her brother._

_"Than where are you?" he asked as he started pacing in frustration._

_Shilya looked around worriedly. She knew the dangers of having high emotions in the fade, and she knew that right now was not the best time of either one of them to become abominations. "Elros, you need to be calm," she urged._

_Elros spun around with fury in his eyes. "Calm down! Calm down! You have no idea what's been going on do you?" he asked, but it wasn't a question he wanted her to answer, because there was no answer that would make him happy. Either she knew and has done nothing, or she didn't know and is completely ignorant of what's going on in the world. Neither one of those were good in his mind, and right now he knew that he didn't need to become angrier. _

_"I'm sorry Elros. I'm sorry I'm not there right now," Shilya hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I know they are calling you the Herald of Anderate. I also know that you probably hate that," she said with a slight smile. She was doing her best to change his mood. These times between them were few and very precious to her, she didn't want this spoiled by heated words with angry meanings. She just wanted to make sure he was alive and doing as well as he could._

_Elros closed his eyes and waited for his anger to subside before continuing. A smirk crossed his face as he watched the only woman in his life that could make his blood boil from rage and bring him back down to his normal calm state._

_Elros reached out and grabbed Shilya by the arm, pulling her into an embrace that made him feel whole again. "Thanks Shilya," he said as he stroked her brown curls. _

_Shilya pulled away and looked curiously at the man before her. "What for?" she asked as her green eyes traced his elegantly tattooed face. Elros' vallaslin marking started close to the bridge of his nose and fanned out underneath his eyes towards his hairline. His golden hair had grown long and was pulled back into a messy half ponytail. His amber colored eyes searched her face before answering._

_"For being my sister. For reminding me that I'm still me even with this green mark on my hand," Elros said as he flexed his right hand, grimacing while he looked at the green mark. _

_Shiyla furrowed her brow as she grabbed her brother's hand. "Hey!" Elros protested._

_"Give me a minute," Shiyla explained as she twisted his hand back and forth to try and get a better look at the glowing mark. _

_Elros soon relaxed under his sister's inspection. He knew that there was nothing he could do to get his hand back at this point. His sister was known for her persistence when it came to things she wanted to understand and learn._

_Shilya's soon lowered her brothers hand and looked back into his eyes. "Do you remember anything?" she asked. Her voice was lined with fear, something that she could never hide for him._

_Elros shook his head. "I remember nothing."_

_Shilya furrowed her brow again as she looked at the mark one last time. She wasn't sure why he couldn't remember what happened, but right now that might be for the best. Because she knew whatever it was that left the mark on her brother's hand was very strong magic, something she didn't even know about and that was rare. "Does anyone know anything about what happened?" she asked after several moments of silence._

_Again Elros shook his head, and again this was not the answer she was hoping for. It was now time for Shilya to rub her forehead in frustration and for her brother to smirk at her. "I'm sorry Shilya. I would tell you happened if I knew," he smirked. "But there is someone here that seems to know a lot about strange magic so he's been helping me understand what's going on."_

_Shilya looked up at her brother curiously. She knew very few people cared about the ancient ways, or ever tried to understand them. For so long she thought it was purely out of ignorance, but she soon realized it was fear. Fear had done some much to not only her own people, but the rest of the people of Thedas as well. _

_"Who is this person?" she asked with suspicion. _

_"His name is Solas. He's an apostate elven mage," Elros said as he turned from his sister. "Apparently he knows a lot about the fade, like you do."_

_Shilya watched her brother for a moment as she rolled the name 'Solas' through her mind trying to figure out if she may have meet this person before, but she came up with nothing. _

_"I'm sorry I don't know anything about the thing that left that mark on your hand," she said, her brother's back still turned to her. "Or anything about this Solas, but I do know one thing." Shilya paused as she waited for her brother to turn towards her once again, and only continued when he did so. "I know that you are going to have to work hard."_

_"I already know that," he interrupted. "The whole of Thedas is riding on my shoulders, I'm the only one that can close those damn rifts."_

_"That's not what I'm talking about," Shilya interrupted. Elros stopped his ranting and watched his sister questioningly. "I'm talking about the fact that you're one of the elvhen, and you will be in the human world fighting a long side them and if you don't gain their respect than this whole thing will be for not." she explained. "You're right, the whole of Thedas is literally in the palm of your hands right now. Will you allow it to flourish or will you crush it?"_

_Elros thought about what his sister was saying for a moment. "What are you saying exactly?" _

_"I'm saying that you're going to have to learn how to play their games and play them better than they do," she said as she turned from her brother to sit on a large fallen tree. "You have advisers, yes?" Elros nodded. "Good, you will need them more than you know," Shilya said as she stretched her arms and legs out. _

_"What exactly am I suppose to learn from them?" Elros asked with a smirk. _

_"Keep that sense of humor of yours brother, you'll need it," Shilya said with her own smirk in place before it was replaced by the same serious expression she had on before. "You'll need to learn human politics, learn about the nobles and their customs. These are things we do not know, and these are things that will help you when you start looking for allies."_

_Elros shook his head, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, did she really want him, an elf, learning human customs? "What are you saying? How is this going to help close the breach?" he asked dumbfounded by her words._

_Now it was time for Shilya to shake her head. "You truly do not see what's going on do you?" _

_Elros just stared at his sister, he wasn't sure how to answer her anymore._

_After several seconds of silence Shilya finally spoke up. "You may think that the only thing that is important about you is the fact that you can close the rifts, but that's not true. You will be everything to the people that look up to you," she said as she stood up to close the distance that had grown between the twins. "You don't want the people of Thedas to think that the Inquisition is being lead by an savage Dalish elf do you?"_

_Elros laughed at her words, not because of the humor, but because it was the same thing he had been thinking and been afraid of. "That is one thing we don't want," he agreed through chuckles._

_Shilya laughed with her brother. She was happy that she could still make her brother laugh through difficult times. Seeing her brother smile was the one thing that kept her going. He was the only person in the world that took her for what she was, even if he didn't understand all of her reasons. _

_A few more moments passed as the two siblings laughter subsided and soon passed. Silence soon filled the space between them as the time came for Elros and Shilya to separate._

_"Can I ask you where you are?"_

_Shilya smirked. "You can always ask, El," she mocked. "But the real question is: will I actually answer you with the answer you're looking for."_

_Elros rolled his eyes at his childhood nickname and his sister's evasion to his question. "Fine you win, I won't ask."_

_Shilya laughed as the pair started walking through the forest. "And to answer your second question: no, I haven't seen anything that is noteworthy at the moment," she stated with a serious expression. "It's starting to worry me."_

_Elros looked glanced at his sister with worried eyes. "What does that mean?" he asked forcing his sister to stop._

_Shilya shrugged. "I don't know," she said in a huff. "You know that I haven't had the easiest time figuring out these abilities of mine. It's been far too long since a Seer has been born. All the answers to my questions have been found here in the fade, but I can't always trust those that I find here."_

_Elros nodded as his sister tugged on his arm to follow her. "Will I be able to see you again, in the flesh?"_

_Shilya laughed as she spun around to face her brother. Without Elros knowing it they had arrived at their destination. "I will be by your side when I am needed the most," she said with a smile. Her unmarked face beamed up at him as he took her into his arms one last time. _

_"Ma'arlath," Shilya cooed. _

_"Love you too, Shi," Elros replied back. _

_Shilya pulled away from her brother and with one last smile she sent him back through the fade to his waking body and an uncertain future that waited for him._

**_..._**

**Aneth ara: **a friendly greeting used among friends and family. 'My safe place.'

**Ma'arlath: **'I love you'


	3. Confessions

**A/N:**** Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this story. Please let me know what you think. There'll be another chapter up soon. I'm in the middle of moving and I've been struck with the flu, ugh! BioWare owns everything except for Shilya. Thanks again!**

Elros awoke with a start, his mind swimming with his sister's words. The past week had been trying to say the least, but after hearing his sisters words and knowing that she was somewhere out there, it gave him hope. A smile crept across his face as his heart started to fill with pride, not only for himself, but for his sister and the world that the two of them were helping create.

Sitting up from his bedroll, Elros finally realized how late it had gotten and where they were. Looking around the area it seemed his companions had just set up a small temporary camp there at the fortress. The dark starry night only proved to him the late hour it had become.

"Ah, you're finally awake," a familiar voice said from behind. Turning around Elros noticed Solas just outside the light of the dying campfire.

Elros smirked at the older elf as he stretched his long limbs. "Did you have the unfortunate task of watching me sleep again?" he asked with an underlining of humor.

Solas chuckled as he rose from his seated position. "Well, yes, unfortunately since I had kept you from dying the first time Seeker Pentaghast thought it would be a good idea for me to watch you again," he joked as he watched Elros pull his long golden hair from the leather binding. "But as soon as I told her that this had nothing to do with the Breach or the mark on your hand she seemed to relax a bit."

Elros burst out laughing before he could throw a hand out his mouth to quite himself. He quickly looked to his other sleeping companions before returning his attention back to Solas. "I didn't know that Cassandra could relax," he joked. "But I would pay to see that, or whatever it is she considers relaxing." The two men looked at each for a moment while they thought about the dark haired woman and her ideas of relaxing. The image of her cutting down demons or chasing rogue mages and templars just for fun crossed both of the men's minds. On the other hand, maybe I don't." And Solas couldn't agree more with the young elf.

Elros continued this train of thought for several moments till it was broken by the one question he didn't want to have to answer. "Elros, what did happen?" Solas asked looking serious as always.

Elros sighed heavily as he stood from his bedroll. He nodded in the direction a way from the embers of their campfire and a way from their other sleeping companions. He knew that if anyone were to understand his sister and her magic, it would be Solas.

Solas rose from his seat without a question and followed Elros into the shadows of the night. He watched as the younger elf fiddled with the necklace he kept hidden beneath his armor, something he would do when he was troubled or thinking deeply Solas had noticed. Several moments of silence passed between the pair. The older elf waited patiently as he watched the younger man before him pick his words carefully, it was obvious to him that this meant a great deal and that he was worried about this knowledge getting out; which only made the man even more curious.

Elros rolled the crystal shard between his thumb and forefinger as he rolled his thoughts through his head. The familiar fell of the leather on his neck soothed him and he pressed the crystal to his lips and breathed a small prayer into it.

Elros turned to Solas who had been watching him with keen eyes and for another moment the pair was silent as he tried to muster up the courage to talk; because this wasn't just his secret, but his sister's and in more ways than one his clan's as well. "There is something I think you should know," he finally said as he pulled the necklace over his head. His shoulder length hair flopped around his shoulders before he could push it out of his face and behind his long pointed ears. He gripped the crystal with white knuckles and for a moment Solas was sure that the rough edges of it were digging into his skin, but Elros showed no pain or irritation, just seriousness, something the older elf hadn't seen in the younger one much before.

"I have a sister, her name is Shilya," the young man finally said. His eyes were distant, seeking something that was no longer there, a time, a place maybe, but whatever it was Solas was ready to listen to him and to help where he could. "Nobody knows about her, at least no one outside of our clan."

Elros leaned against a near by wall as he opened his palm and looked down at the item in his hand, a small smile spread across his face as looked at the crystal, but that smile was short lived as he remembered the day Shilya had given him the necklace.

Shaking his head from old memories, Elros straightened his back as well as his resolve and continued his story to the only person he knew for sure would understand. "She's my twin," he continued. "And a mage."

"Is she your Keeper's First?" Solas asked. It wasn't the question Elros was suspecting at first, but it was a question he knew would be asked.

"No," Elros said shaking his head. "It's more complicated than that."

A grimace crossed Solas's usually unreadable face. He knew what the Dalish did to their mages if there were too many in the clan, and that fact sickened him. The fear of mages is a human thing, not an Elvhen thing, and it made him sick to know that the elves mistreat their kind as much as any of the humans do. "So how _complicated_ is it?" he sneered through gritted teeth.

Elros was put aback by Solas' obvious anger. The older elf had shown little to no emotion since they have meet, and to be so angry over someone he had never met before was a shock for the young man.

"Let me start from the beginning," Elros said was a calm voice as he started to slowly pace the small area. "I don't remember a time that my sister didn't have magic, it's always been apart of not only her life but mine as well. I mean I remember when we were kids she would make our toys float in the air." Elros' voice trailed off as he glanced at Solas who had crossed his arms and leaned against a pillar. His keen eyes were ever watchful of the young man.

Elros stopped and handed his necklace to Solas. With wide eyes and ginger fingers Solas took the object handed to him, and was surprised by its warmth, not from the outside, but from the inside. He quickly rotated the object in his hands, curiosity pulled at every single fiber of his being as he watched the crystal change color from a very light and see-through blue back to completely see-through. The change was subtle, but it was change non the less, and something like this can only be made by magic, a magic he hadn't seen in well over a thousand years.

"My sister made that," Elros said breaking through Solas' thoughts. "When we were 15 another one of our clan members had become a mage. At this point our clan already had a First and a Second, so there was no place for her with us. Our Keeper did everything she could to find her a clan, but it was no use. There was no clan close enough to us that could help."

Elros tried to rub the tension out of his neck as a humorless smile crossed his face. He knew better than most the stupid ideals his people had, what they choose to keep and throw away was silly and made no sense. "What happened to that girl?" Solas asked, the anger that was in his voice earlier had now subsided.

That humorless smile turned into a humorless laugh at Solas' honest question. "The fact, no even the idea that someone from our clan could be thrown out so easily just because they had magic made my sister sick. And trust me I didn't like it either," Elros clarified when Solas' eyes began to grew wide. "But there was nothing we could do, or at least that's what I thought."

Elros shook his head. "Shilya had been sneaking around the camp. She may have been a mage, but she would have been an excellent hunter, the girl can walk on freshly laid snow and never leave a foot print." A genuine smile crossed the young man's face as the memories of his sister passed through his mind's eye.

Forcing himself back into the present Elros continued, "she over heard the Keeper talking to one of our head hunters, telling him to take her close to a human village so that they could call the Templars and have her live in the Circle. My sister lost it," he explained as he rubbed his temples with a sigh. "That night was the beginning of everything for us."

"What exactly are you saying?" Solas asked. He wasn't sure where Elros was going, but his story had him curious about the man before him and his mysterious sister.

Elros chuckled lightly as his gaze traveled back to their sleeping companions, making sure they were still asleep. He wasn't ready for anyone else to know about this, not yet anyways. "My sister has a strange magical ability," he stated looking back at Solas. "No one knew what it was, not even our Keeper, not at first at least. From what I understand it was a spirit that told our Keeper what my sister was. And that's pretty much the only way that she's been able to learn anything about her ability."

Elros cleared his throat as his nervousness started to rise. "My sister is what the Ancient Elvhen would have called a Seer. She's connected to the Veil like no other mage is. She can see things, like how you can see memories when you're in the fade, but their not memories like what we think and she doesn't need to be sleeping to see them," he tried to explain. "She can see with great clarity she told me once, but it seems that it's really just the past and the present, for the most part. The future is harder for her to see, it's unclear and fuzzy. She told me once it was like being knocked over the head and trying to have a clear thought."

Solas couldn't believe what he was hearing, the fact that a Seer was born in this day and time was mind blowing to him. All this time since he had been awake he had searched for pieces of the past that he helped destroy. Little did he know that a single piece of what he's been looking for was right under his nose, yet so far out of reach. _Oh, the humor that is my life_, he thought privately to himself.

A humorless chuckle tried to escape his lips, but he stopped it just in time. He couldn't let Elros, or anyone else for that matter, know that he knew anything about this type of magic. A Seer hasn't been seen in Thedas since before the fall of Arlathan. Solas grimaced at a memory he had encountered in the fade. The memory was a sad one for him to remember, but it was important for him to know and to see what he had caused. He watched as a small band of rogue elves stood against an army of Tevinter slavers as they tried to save the last Seer, a small and frail girl, no older than 12 years old. That memory, like so many others, was burned into his eyes, forever to be remembered as the end of the Elvhen Golden Age.

However surprised and curious he was he knew that he couldn't let on as such. He needed to keep his mask firmly in place, showing no more emotion than usual, they couldn't know, not now, not ever. Realizing that the young man before him was no longer talking Solas quickly thought of something to say. "That sounds interesting and useful," he said as he brought a hand up to his smooth face and rubbed his chin. "You say that she learned all her abilities through the fade?"

Elros nodded without saying a word.

Solas mused over this for a moment. Everything she has learned she learned through the fade, he thought curiously. "What else do you know about her ability?" He had to know what she knew and how she preserved her own power and abilities. He needed to know if this girl was was as thick headed as her fellow Dalish or if maybe, maybe she might have been different, but he highly doubted that. Experience was out weighing hope at the moment.

Elros shook his head again. "Not much more than what I've told you," he said plainly. "She tends to keep that stuff to herself. 'Peoples pasts are their own stories, the future is just their story untold', she says every time I ask, so I've stopped asking."

Solas nodded, he figured as much. Seers had always been secretive about their abilities, but the people loved them and always believed in them. A warm feeling started to grow inside the wolf, something he hadn't felt in many, many years: hope.

However, that feeling did not last as he realized that same hope could be his destruction. He didn't know this woman and had no idea if she even believed the same way as he did. Did she want to restore the past, to rebuild what he had destroyed? Or did she have her own plans? He wasn't sure and that made him feel uneasy.

He had to know who she was, what her goals were, because if she stood in his way he would cut her down. His goals had to be reached no matter the consequences were. However, that was his last resort. He, in all truth, did not want to destroy something he was trying to bring back. If he could, he wanted to try and persuade her to his side, in any way he could.

It was than that he looked down at the crystal he held in his hand, this was something different, something he didn't know Seers could do. "She made this right?" he asked. He pulsed his own magic through the crystal and watched as the transparent blue swirled around in a rush. Her magic is powerful, this is another Seer ability if I remember correctly, he thought to himself before handing it back. As soon as it left his hand he missed the warmth it made.

Elros nodded. "Yes. She has one too," he said as he took the crystal back. "It connects us. It also helps us connect in the fade. She can draw me there when needed, that's where we have all of our conversions these days. And yes, that is what happened this afternoon, I'm sorry for worrying you and everyone else."

Solas pushed himself off the wall and wave his hand dismissively. "Do not worry about such a thing, now that I know what's going on I understand and find it very interesting," he said with a wolfish smile. "Now, the real question is how are you going to tell the Seeker and very one else?"

"I'm not," he said quickly. "At least not now. I need to make sure that the Commander and Cassandra aren't going to cut her down if she has a vision. She can't control them, they may see her as an abomination and I can't watch them cut her down." Elros' beautiful face twisted into despair as the false images of his sister's dead body laid on the floor.

"I will not let that happen," Solas said without hesitation. "I would stand next to you if it came down to protecting her."

Elros was taken aback for a moment by Solas' words. He hadn't expected that from him, he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but that wasn't it he was certain. "Thank you Solas," he said as if he were holding his breath. It had taken him longer than he would have liked to recover from the mages' words, but the comfort he felt by hearing them was overwhelming.

Moments later the pair noticed the sun rising from its sleeping state to greet the early day with its brilliance. Beautiful shades of gold and orange streaked the sky as the sun's rays stretched liked arms reaching for something that no one could see.

"I believe that our companions should be waking soon," Solas commented, breaking Elros' train of thought. "I believe that the Seeker was hoping to head back to Haven today. Leliana's messages about Val Royeaux and the Chantry are worrying her, and the other advisers from what I can gather."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that she'd want to head back sooner rather than later, I was just hoping for later," Elros said with a chuckle as he tried to rub the stress out of his neck. "I don't know how Val Royeaux will handle a _'Savage'_ being named the Herald of Andraste."

Though Elros said this with a smile Solas could see and hear the annoyance that dripped from his words. He knew that the young man had a challenge before him concerning the Chantry and their heretics, but the boy seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, something he wasn't expecting to come from the Dalish.

"You are a good man, Elros" Solas began. "Let the people see you for yourself and hopefully they can see beyond the pointed ears."

"Has that always worked for you?"

Solas' brow furrowed at the question, before a small chuckle escaped. "I see your point," he said with a sign and a grin. "But let us hope that it will be different for you."

Elros nodded at his words, and internally he hoped and prayed to the Gods that what he said would come true. He knew what he had to do; now he just needed the rest of Thedas to do it as well.


	4. Being Something Better

**A/N:****Hello everyone! Thanks for reading my story. I hope that you guys are enjoying it so far. Let me know what you think!****Warning:****There is some M/M mentioned in this chapter and there will be**_**way**_******more later on as well. There will be a surprise guest in this chapter that will be sticking around for awhile. Thanks for reading!**

An elven man with a head of snowy white hair looks after a sleeping elven woman. The chilly night air nipped at his pointed ears, something he was sure she could feel too. With a heavy sign the man got to his feet and draped a fur blanket over her slight body.

In the distance he could hear the familiar howls of the woman's two wolves, Eldar and Esta. He could only assume that they were in pursuit of their pray, and the thought of that put a twisted smile across his face. He had seen these two fight before and there wasn't an enemy or pray alive that could survive once those two wolves sank their teeth into their flesh.

The snowy haired elf rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to relieve some of his stress. He had spent years on the run from magic, doing everything he could to avoid it like it was the plague, but here he was watching over yet another mage. _Venhedis! What in the void am I doing? _He ran his hand through his shaggy hair, frustration growing in the pit of his stomach as he watched the elven mage before him.

_Why am I doing this again?_He thought to himself. _Another mage... _His thoughts soon wandered to his former

Master, a Tevinter Magister by the name of Danarius. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as his former life flashed before his mind's eye, the life he had fought so tirelessly to get rid of.

However, he did not do that alone. While he was in Kirkwall he found himself indebted to yet another mage, a man by the name of Daniel Hawke.

Daniel, at the time of their first meeting, was like any other apostate from Fereldan, at least that's what he thought at first, but soon he realized the folly of those thoughts. Hawke was like no other mage, or man, he had ever met. Strong in his beliefs and always willing to help those that needed it. He never apologized for being a mage, nor was he power hungry, always giving his whole self to the people of Kirkwall, even if they didn't want a mages help.

He had spent almost 7 years by Hawke's side, through thick and thin, and in the end he had fallen madly in love with him.

Hawke had given him his freedom, had cured his heart from his total hatred and showed him what real, tender love was. Something he could never get without the mage in his life. Though they had their own ups and downs with each other, mostly because of his stupidity and stubbornness, he knew that they loved each other and that no matter what they would be by each other's side.

At least that was the truth until about 3 months ago.

It had been insane for the both of them since that faithful day, the day that Anders had taken it upon himself to start this Maker forsaken war. They had fled Kirkwall soon after with the help of the than Knight-Captain Cullen and their friend and Captain of the Guard Aveline as well as her husband Donnic. Their departure was bitter sweet, leaving behind the home that either of them had known for the past several years, the place where they had not only found themselves, but love as well. However, he had wished, even though he knew it was foolish, that this was the beginning of their quite lives together. How wrong he really was.

"Fenris!" a familiar voice exclaimed quietly from the shadows of the forest. "Has she awoken yet?" A moment later a thin, red-headed elven woman emerged with bow and their dinner in hand.

"No," he remarked curtly without turning to see the woman for himself. He didn't like her, in fact he didn't really care for any of the people he was travelling with, but he believed in their cause, even if another mage was heading this group.

With a heavy sigh Fenris gets to his feet and retrieves his greatsword. The blade glinted with blue light from the moon that hung low and full in the sky, the image brings him back to that faithful day where everything changed...

_They were living in a small Antivan village, about 2 hours away from Antiva City. The cottage was quaint, as well as the village, neither of them had really explored the region or the village yet, but that wasn't uncommon for them. Fenris' tattoos made him stick out like a sore thumb, which left Hawke to do everything _

_"Why do you have to go?" he asks fantastically. Green eyes filled with despair as he argued with his lover._

_"Because Fenris, there is something going on with the mages and I.."_

_"Fasta vaas," he spits angrily. "You don not always have to save everyone Hawke! The mages made their own graves let someone else figure it out this time."_

_Hawke spins around and looks pointedly at Fenris. "Have you forgotten that I too am a mage? That we were there when this all started? That Anders was our friend!" _

_The pair stare at each other for a moment in silence, both regretting their words, but neither of them willing or ready to admit that they were wrong. _

_"This was all my fault Fenris," Hawke says, breaking the tension between the pair. "I helped Anders with his goals, I believed that he really wanted to make things better, but I was wrong and I should have listened to you." _

_This time the silence between them is deafening. Hawke was sure that he was going to get some absurd retort, but nothing came. His lover was deathly silent, and for a moment Hawke wondered if the man even had a tongue in his head to speak. _

_"Fenris, you know that I love you right?" Hawke says after a heavy sigh. He searches his lovers eyes, looking for some understanding, knowledge that he knows that he loves him and only him, but there's nothing there. _

_Hawke turns with slumped shoulders from his lover and continues his packing, a moment later he heard the door slam to their small cottage._

_Hours later a drunk elf finds his way back to his small little cottage, it's dark and quite. Fenris pulls his cloak around him closer, trying in vain to keep the chill from reaching his bones. However, the chill he feels isn't from the elements outside, but the chill from his heart because he knows that his love, his life was gone and he had no idea when he would see him again. _

_The world was going to shit and Hawke felt the need to help again. Fenris slammed his fist down on the small wooden table across from the dark fireplace, as he realizes his folly. 'I never said I love you back,' he silently chided himself, and in that moment he wasn't sure if he would ever see him again._

_The sadness he felt in that very moment threatened to engulf him, body and soul, the darkness creeping in through his cracks, filling in the pieces that were missing in his heart. His drunkenness slowly starts to lull him to sleep, but this sleep, unlike the ones he's had with his lover by his side, will be haunted with images he once thought gone. _

_The morning sun bleed through the broken shutters that hung carelessly from their hinges. A warm breeze floated through lazily, ruffling the elf's white hair, tickling his forehead till he awoke. Fenris tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, only to have his memory come flooding back to him. Through blood shot eyes and tear stained cheeks he searched the room fanatically looking for his lover, only to be greeted by the cold emptiness of the once loving room._

_Fenris sat up on the cot that he once shared with his lover and ran a shaky hand through his shaggy hair. He knew he couldn't sit here; he needed to go after Hawke, to beg him to come back, to stop this stupid quest. Fenris needed to tell his lover that he needed him, that life didn't make sense without him by his side. _

_Quickly Fenris got to his feet and pack the few belongings that were left behind in the small cottage. Opening the front door he was greeted by the sun's bright rays and a warm breeze with a trace of something sweet wafted passed him. He couldn't help but follow the smell; there was something about it that seemed so familiar to him._

_For years Fenris has dealt with the fact that much of his life was a blank space, and where there were memories most of them were unpleasant, that is until Hawke came into his life. However, that did not change the fact that all he wanted were his own memories, his own life and to make his own decisions. 'Instead I have gone from belonging to one mage to following and loving another. What am I doing with my life?'_

_Fenris walked quietly through the silent morning streets. There were few people awake at this hour, mostly servants and merchants readying their wares for the day, a familiar sight for anyone who was accustom to walking the early morning streets. _

_He continued his trek, determined to find the source of the smell, until he found himself outside of a small bakery. He had never been there before, nor, to his knowledge, had he eaten there, but everything about the place was familiar. Fenris stood there for a moment longer, trying to understand what to was about the place that attracted him when a young elven girl with red hair came bounding out of the cottage's front door. _

_The young girl skidded to a stop as soon as she saw the white haired elf before her, nearly dropping the sweet rolls she was carrying in a basket. She forced a smile onto her face and handed Fenris one of her rolls before trotting off into the opposite direction._

_Fenris took the fluffy sweet roll in his hand and inhaled the intoxicating aroma, and than it hit him like a ton of bricks: all the years in Tevinter, walking the early morning streets to ensure that his 'Master' had his breakfast on time. All the slaves and beggars that littered the street, at the time he hated them all, when in reality he just hated himself._

_Fenris sneered at the roll as he made a fist, crumbling the pieces of bread to the floor. It was than that he realized what he needed to do: he couldn't go after Hawke, no not yet; he needed to be the man he wanted to follow, the man that Hawke deserved. So, it was in that moment that he decided that he was going to hunt as many Tevinter Slavers as possible. _ _He couldn't change his past, nor could he get his memories back, but that wasn't going to hinder his life anymore. _

_With a twisted smile on his face and resolve in his heart, Fenris made his way north. He knew that there might be a chance that he wouldn't see Hawke again, but to him the chance to make his own choices and to be his own man without Hawke was more important and in the end he knew that he would find his lover again._

Three months ago he found himself without his lover, without his home and with nowhere to go, but his feet and his desire drove forward. He saved many refugees on the road and stopped several Tevinter Slavers before they made they're way back to their Master, who ever it might have been. There were a lot of people out there that were alive that might not have been because of him, and because of that he was starting to feel proud of himself for doing something without Hawke.

"By the Gods!" the female Dalish elf from early said with impatience as she plopped down on the ground drawing Fenris back from his thoughts. "How long does this usually take?"

Fenris rolled his eyes. "I do not know," he said with gritted teeth. "Haven't you been with her for longer than I?"

The woman rolled her eyes as she tapped her slender finger on her crossed arms. "Whatever Fenris."

"Io, leave the man alone," a deep voice said from the shadows. Fenris looked over his shoulder at the owner, a short and stocky dwarf stood only feet away with a huge greataxe flung over his shoulder. The elf always found himself surprised by the speed and accuracy the much shorter man could fling his weapon.

The elven woman stuck her tongue out in a childish way before stomping away from the two men and the sleeping woman. The familiar sounds of arrows hitting their mark could soon by heard as Io pulled and released her bow string.

A low chuckle could be heard coming from the dwarf as he shook his head, but that merriment lasted only a moment. His gaze soon turned to the sleeping woman before him. "How's she doing?" he asked with a brow furrowed in emotion.

Fenris glanced over his shoulder at the dwarf, but said nothing.

"Ah, I see you're as talkative as ever," the shorter man said as he took a set next to the brooding elf. Fenris grumbled at the man, but said nothing else.

Though brooding elf didn't like any of his companions, he did enjoy the company of Daegan Fieryopal, the dwarf. He was born on the surface, but where Fenris wasn't sure. The man was quite and had a sense of purpose that no one else did, even if he didn't know what that purpose was. He was a man of few words, but those words always had great meaning and intent, something that the elf himself understood, probably greater than anyone else.

The pair sat in silence for a moment, listening to the continued sounds of Io's practice arrows hitting their target. No matter how much Fenris disliked the noisy little elf he did have to admit that the woman was skilled with a bow and arrow. _She could probably show Sebastian and Varric a thing or two, _he thought with a smirk.

"What're you smirking about?" Daegan asked with his own grin. Fenris watched as the dwarf pulled out a small lamb skin and took a heavy pull from its contents before handing to the elf. Taking the skin into his hands Fenris smelled the contents before deciding it was safe to drink.

"You don' talk much do ya?" Daegan asked as he took the skin back.

Fenris wiped his mouth before answering. "I just don't have that much to say I guess," he stated.

Daegan shrugged his shoulders as he took another swig of liquor, the liquid warming him against the chilly night air.

Fenris glanced at the dwarf; he knew that he needed to make friends. That if he truly wanted to become the man that Hawke deserved than he needed to make some changes. He might not always be the friendliest person, but he needed to at least make an effort, he no longer had Hawke by his side to help him.

Clearing his throat Fenris decided that if he was going to try and make friends with someone it might as well be Daegan. "I have a question for you, if you don't mind?"

Daegan's furry brows rose high in surprise at the elf's question. He had never expected the elf to ask permission, let alone even ask a question. "Shoot, go right on ahead my friend," he said with a cheery smile.

Fenris took a moment before continuing. "How did you and Io meet Shilya?" he asked. The question had been nagging him for some time. Though he knew very little about any of them, he could tell that it was Shilya that was the common factor in all of them.

"Ah, that's a story," he said with a wistful smile. "I can' speak for Io, if ya want to know that story ya'll have to ask her, but I can tell you mine." Daegan stood up and leaned his greataxe against a nearby tree before continuing.

"Well, it was 4, no must have been almost 5 years ago now," he said as he scratched his bearded chin. "Yeah, it was almost 5 years ago in Orlais. My family is apart of the Dwarven Merchant's Guild so I was there doing business," he said rolling his eyes as he took his seat back. "My father wanted me to follow in his and my brother's footsteps, but I had other plans."

Fenris watched the dwarf as he continued his story. "Shilya had been trespassin' on a noble's property, apparently she didn't know that the Orlaisian's like their property like their parties... big," he said with a chuckle as he took another swig from the lamb skin before handing it over to Fenris.

"She was bein' escorted to the local jail there, which happene' to be near the store my father owns, and that's when I saw her." Daegan's gaze drifted down to the sleepy form before him, and Fenris couldn't help but notice the wistful look the dwarf gave her. It reminded him of how Varric looked after Merrill, that girl never what he did for her. "She had a huge grin on her face as they dragge' her along," his smile widening at the memory. "She was, of course, talkin' back in a manner that is not very nice to talk about in polite company... at least that's what she tells me. I donno what it was about her, but I had to help. So I bribed one of the idiot guardsmen and busted her out. Haven' looked back since."

Fenris pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his head, as he contemplated the story he was just told. "And that's it? You just follow her blindly?" he asked. He needed to not only understand why Daegan followed Shilya, but why he choose too now as well. And he was hoping that by finding out what Daegan's reason was he might find his own, but there was no such luck. The dwarf's story held no answers.

Daegan furrowed his brows in curiosity. "Whadda you mean?"

Fenris rose to his feet in frustration and started to pace the small area. "I mean, what was it about her that made you want to rescue her? You didn't speak to her, you had no idea what type of person she was or what her goals where!" he exclaimed.

Daegan shook his head as he chuckled. "You don' get it do ya? We don't 'follow' her as you put it," he started to explain. "She is tryin' to do better in this world, and with our help we can all accomplish this. The world has gone to shit, and as far as I can tell no one is given a damn about us, the little people, so we might as well do what we can while we can. Shiyla has dreams and her own goals, just as Io does, I do and you as well. But together we can not only help ourselves, but help those that can't help themselves.

"And there is also the fact that I'm afraid that if her 'abilities' get out she'll be in trouble, and I wouldn' be able to live with myself if somethin' like that happened to her," he said, a ting of sadness hung to his last words. "Shiyla is the most selfless person I have ever met, and there are far too many people around that would take advantage of that.

Daegan paused and looked to the elf that was now leaning against a nearby tree. He couldn't discern the expression on his face or the thoughts going through his head, and he had to be honest with himself he probably didn't want to know. Daegan was starting to figure out that Fenris was a difficult person to understand, but deep down there was goodness in his heart, at least that's what he wanted to believe.

"So, what's the reason you're here," Daegan asked as he threw his skin at the elf.

Fenris bent down and picked up the water skin as he thought about the question. He still had no real idea, but whatever it was that kept him here he felt, no he knew, that this was the only place he belonged at this moment. "I... I'm here to kill as many Tevinter slavers as possible," he said simply. Though that wasn't the answer the dwarf, or himself, were looking for, it was the only answer he had at the moment.

"Haha, yeah, that I can believe," Daegan chuckled as he gathered himself to his feet. "But when you find the answer you're lookin' for let me know, shit let her know, so that we can help you finally find your peace." And with that the dwarf turned to leave. "Oh, and she should be waking soon. Get yourself some grub, I believe Io has finally made up that kill she made earlier. She may not be the best cook in the world, but it'll keep you warm at night."

Fenris stood there, with an empty water skin in his hands, thinking about what the dwarf had said and wondered if any of it had to do with him. _Does peace really exist for people like me? _he thought darkly. _No! No, I have to start thinking differently if I want to be a better man for Hawke, I have to BE better. _

"Yo! Fenny! Are you gonna come get some food while it's still hot or are you gonna brood your stomach full?" Io asked through snickered laughter, he could even hear the low rumbles of Daegan's laughter as well. Rolling his eyes Fenris pushed himself off the tree he was leaning on and made his way toward his new companions, leaving Shilya to her slumber.


	5. The Tevinter

**_A/N:_**_Thank you everyone for reading my story! I wanted to let you guys know that this is a huge time skip, but like I said before this story is going to go over 5 years or so. Which means that there will be things that happen out of time with the game. I just think that the Inquisition should have taken longer than a year or two, lol. Thank you too mythlover20 for following and faving my story. Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think so far! Thanks again!_

"Good! You're finally here," a rather tall, dark and handsome human male said as Elrose kicked open the heavy Chantry doors and he took down two demons. "Now help me close this, would you?"

Elrose Rolled his eyes, but he and his companions quickly got to work on the demons and the fade rift in the center of the room. It had almost been a year since he had received his fated 'Marked' hand, and everyday was a new challenge.

With a great roar, the qunari The Iron Bull- simply Bull to those he deemed friends- lifted his greataxe and sliced a rage demon in half. The qunari's grinned from ear to ear, and Elrose couldn't help the matching smiling on his own face.

The qunari and his group, the Chargers, had joined the Inquisition about 4 months ago. At first Elrose and the others were a little apprehensive about having a mercenary group working for them, but as soon as the he talked to The Iron Bull Elrose knew that he would fit right in. And the Chargers had made themselves not only at home in Haven, but had also taken it upon themselves to do whatever it was that needed to be done around the camp. Even Krem, the Bull's second-in-command, had taken up helping the refugees with their day to day.

Elrose spun around and decapitated an envy demon as it tried to make its way toward Sera. "Oi, I had him! Thank you very much!" the elven woman chided. Out of all the new companions Elrose had to admit that she was probably the strangest and hardest to understand thus far. He wasn't sure what she and her 'Red Jennies' were up too, but he was glad for the help. He also liked what they stood for, the little people, it reminded him of his sister, someone always looking out for those that need help.

"Huh, if you learned to duck I'm sure that it wouldn't be such an issue," a dark haired and bearded human said as he shield bashed his way through a couple of shades.

The man's name is Blackwall, Elrose and his companions found him when they were searching for more information about the Warden's disappearance. Though Blackwall knew nothing about the disappearing Wardens he was willing to help the Inquisition in any way he could. Elrose was happy when the Warden joined the group. He had always heard such amazing things about them and held great respect for their order, even if people didn't understand it, he did.

Sera stuck out her tongue in a very immature way as another rage demon made his way towards her only to be frozen to it's spot on the ground, allowing Bull to smash it to pieces. "Darling, if you must make such a fuss do you not think it wise to wait till after the battle has concluded?" a tall, elegantly dressed, dark skinned woman asked as she replaced the barrier she had put on her companions earlier.

She was the one in the group that looked like she didn't belonged, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Elrose had meet Vivienne at a party she threw in the Inquisition's honor. He was surprised to get the invitation personally because elves don't usually go to fancy parties without being someone's servant, slave or 'play thing' (personally he wasn't sure what the difference was between the three things, but there were a lot of things he didn't know about the human world and he just left it at that). However, she never once treated him any differently just because of his pointed ears.

Elrose's companions worked swiftly to eliminate the demons as he made his way to the fade rift and started to close it. He couldn't help but watch the mage that greeted them when they entered the Chantry. It wasn't the man he had expected when opening the door, but there was too much going on to ask where Felix was at the moment.

Moments later the rift was closed and the Chantry was once again quite and peaceful, if only a little destroyed. "Fascinating! How does that work exactly?" the dark haired mage asked as he strolled toward Elrose before giving a little chuckle. "You don't even know do you?" it wasn't a question that needed to be answered nor was there any given time to do so. "You just wiggle your fingers and puff! Rift closes."

Elrose glanced at his marked hand for a moment, it was true he didn't know how it worked and he probably never would. It wasn't a comforting thought, and something he tried to think about. There were far too many other things he needed to worry about.

"Who are you anyways?" Elrose asked, frustration lingering on his tone.

"Ah getting a head of myself again I see. The name is Dorian of House Pavus, most recently of Minrathous. How do you do?" Dorian said with a crooked smile and curt bow. Elrose had to admit the man had swagger, and a certain way about him that both infuriated and fascinated him, something he was sure the man was accustom too. One does not become so without noticing.

"Watch yourself," Bull said from the back of the group. The huge lumbering qunari was always warily of magic, even the one in his own group, so for him to say something about this random Tevinter mage only made sense. "The pretty ones are always the worst."

"Suspicious friends you have here," Dorian said with a smile and Elrose could have sworn there was a wink in there somewhere, but he couldn't be for certain. "Magister Alexius was my mentor, so my assistance is valuable-as I'm sure you can imagine."

Elrose rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. He wasn't expecting this man to be here, he was expecting Magister Alexius' son Felix, to be here instead. _This whole thing is getting aggravating. First Fiona begs us to come to Redcliffe to 'talk' to her about the rebel mages joining the Inquisition, than the bitch completely forgets about it and now there this Magister and blah blah blah... Why can't one thing we try to do go without a hitch? _

Elrose's frustration was rising, but he knew better than to try and take it out on a potential ally. He and his friends needed all the help they could get right now and if what this man is saying is true and he was the Magister's apprentice than his help wouldn't only be useful, but necessary.

"Where is Felix?"

Dorian shook his head. "He must be on his way. He was to give you the note, then meet us here after ditching his father."

"Alexius couldn't jump to Felix's side fast enough he pretended to be faint. Is something wrong with him?" Elrose asked.

"He's had some lingering illness for months," Dorian said as he shifted his gaze slightly from Elrose's. It was only a moment, and the mage recovered well, but there was a moment where Elrose could have swore he saw sadness or regret or maybe something else. He wasn't sure, but he knew he saw something in the man's gaze. "Felix is an only child, and Alexius is being a mother hen, most likely."

Elrose nodded, he knew the mage was hiding something, but there were far bigger things that he needed to worry about at the moment. "So are you the one that sent the note than?"

"I am," Dorian confirmed. "Someone needed to warn after all. Look, you must know there's danger. That should be obvious even without the note. Let's start with Alexius claiming the allegiance of the mage rebels out from under you. As if my magic, yes? Which is exactly right. To reach Redcliffe before the Inquistion, Alexius distorted time itself."

Elrose sighed heavily as he tried to understand what Dorian was saying to him. He wasn't a mage, but he had learned quite a bit from his sister, as well as Solas, about different types of magic and their uses. However, this was a type of magic neither of them had ever talked about before, which didn't make the situation any better in his option. "I hope it's less dangerous than it sounds," he said, knowing, but still fearing the answer he would receive.

"More," Dorian said solemnly. "The rift you closed here? You saw how it twisted time around itself, sped things up and slowed others down. Soon there will be more like it, and they'll appear further and further away from Redcliffe. The magic Alexius is using is wildly unstable, and it's unraveling the world. "

"You're asking me to take a lot on faith," Elrose said as he crossed his arms defensively and leaned into his hip.

"I know what I'm talking about. I helped develop this magic," Dorian spat. "When I was still his apprentice, it was pure theory. Alexius could never get it to work. What I don't understand is why he's doing it? Ripping time to shreds just to gain a few hundred lackeys?"

"He didn't do it for them," Felix interrupts as he enters the Chantry.

Dorian smiled at the younger man as he made his way towards them. "Took you long enough. Is he getting suspicious?" he asked. Though Dorian asked the question without hesitating Elrose could tell that there was concern behind his words. _This man is arrogant, that's for sure, but he cares about his friends that's for sure._

"No, but I shouldn't have used the illness card. I thought he's be fussing over me all day," Felix said rolling his eyes. Elrose took the boys appearance in for a moment. He hadn't noticed before but the boy was overly pale, if not slightly gray, with sunken eyes. There was more going on than anyone wanted to admit that was for sure. The boy than turned his gaze from Dorian to Elrose. "My father has joined a cult. Tevinter supremacists. They call themselves 'Venatori'. And I can tell you one thing: whatever he's done for them, he's done to get to you."

"Why would he rearrange time and indenture the mage rebellion just to get to me?" Elrose asked as he rubbed his furrowed brow.

"They're obsessed with you, but I don't know why," Felix explained. "Perhaps because you survived the Temple of Sacred Ashes?"

"You _can_ close the rifts," Dorian interjected. "Maybe there's a connection? Or they see you as a threat?"

"If the Venatori are behind those rifts, or the Breach in the sky, they're even worse than I thought," Felix said sadly.

Elrose couldn't believe what he was hearing, and who he was hearing it from. Not only was Alexius' apprentice going against him, but also his son. Apart of him wondered if any of this was a trap, but he knew that he couldn't begin to think like that, not now, not ever. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, not only to Felix, but to Dorian as well. "Alexius is your father. Why are you working against him?"

Felix chuckled dryly before a coughing fit took hold on him. "For the same reason Dorian works against him," he managed to get out. He took a moment before continuing. "I love my father, and I love my country. But this? Cults? Time magic? What he's doing now is madness. For his own sake, you have too stop him."

"It would also be nice if he didn't rip a hole in time. There's already a hole in the sky," Dorian joked.

Elrose rubbed the back of his neck once again as a chuckle escaped his lips. "All this for me?" he joked "And here I didn't get Alexius anything," he concluded with a shoulder shrug and a sideways smirk.

"Send him a fruit basket; everyone loves those," Dorian jousted back with a smirk of his own. "You know he's your target. Expecting the trap is the first step in turning it to your advantage. I can't stay in Redcliffe. Alexius doesn't know I'm here, and I'd like to keep it that way for now. But whenever you're ready to deal with him, I want to be there. I'll be in touch," he said turning to the back of the Chantry, but before departing he turned to Felix. "And Felix? Try not to get yourself killed, would you?"

Felix sighed heavily. "There are worse things than dying, Dorian," the boy said solemnly before he too left the Chantry, leaving Elrose and his companions alone in the quite Chantry.


End file.
